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Homeowner Forum / Construction / December 2005Best allround metal drill bits?
What are the best drill bits out there to drill metal? > What are the best drill bits out there to drill metal? Well, there's metal and there's metal. You didn't mention whether the bits were for sheet aluminum or holes in steel beams, whether ease of resharpening was important, etc. The twist drill bit with a 135 degree point made from high speed steel (HSS) has been the standard for decades for good reason. As an all around bit it's tough to beat. There are major differences between inexpensive drill bits and high quality ones. Don't cheap out. R > > What are the best drill bits out there to drill metal? > There are major differences between inexpensive drill bits and high > quality ones. Don't cheap out. > > R hear hear! yeah, I think the Bosch are pretty good for the money I don't use them often enough to resharpen any, I just buy another. For general use, hss 135 degree split points and throw-em away when burned/broke. Getem by the 10 pack at a refutable industrial supply store, NOT home depot/lowes/sears/harbor frieght etc. Dan > What are the best drill bits out there to drill metal? > For general use, hss 135 degree split points and throw-em away when > burned/broke. Getem by the 10 pack at a refutable industrial supply store, > NOT home depot/lowes/sears/harbor frieght etc. ?! Is that a place that says, "No! They're not ours.", when you try to return them? ;) R Guess it could be if ya only go there once in awhile....... :-) Dan > > For general use, hss 135 degree split points and throw-em away when > > burned/broke. Getem by the 10 pack at a refutable industrial supply store, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > R > What are the best drill bits out there to drill metal? Blue mol Aggressor bits... cheap.. Home depot. Drills stainless steel where none of the other bits I had would. Ive bent them though, so the tips must be hard but they are probably not sharpenable. 20 dollars for a set of 20 or so. Phil Scott In my opinion the BEST drill bit is simply a sharp drill bit. Like most people who don't make their living as a machinist, I used to just buy another bit when the old one got dull. Then I discovered the Drill Doctor, an inexpensive and easy-to-use drill sharpener. It changed the way I approach any project involved drilling, especially stainless. It does an amazing job quickly and effortlessly and I wouldn't be without one. So buy a pretty good set of bits and KEEP THEM SHARP. You'll be miles ahead of the guy who buys either cheap or expensive bits and throws them away when they get dull, mostly because folks usually don't throw away a bit until it's really, really dull. With an easy way to sharpen them, the tendency is to ALWAYS work with a perfectly sharpened bit. Then life is good. Bob agreed, i just used a drill doctor for the first time, and i was fairly impressed. On occasion, I've seen brand new bits that needed sharpening, probably due to handling damage at the mfg facility. bill > In my opinion the BEST drill bit is simply a sharp drill bit. Like > most people who don't make their living as a machinist, I used to just [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Bob Bob: I've often thought about buying a Drill Doctor, but the ones I've seen are not cheap, almost $100. Does it do a good job with sharpening small bits, like 1/8" and smaller? These get dull quickly, even if they are high-quality bits. If the Drill Doctor sharpens these small bits, it might be worth the cost vs. constantly buying the individual small bits. Also, I noticed that there are different models of the Drill Doctor and they vary quite a lot in price. What is your model? Thanx, Key Bored > In my opinion the BEST drill bit is simply a sharp drill bit. Like > most people who don't make their living as a machinist, I used to just [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Bob >>>Also, I noticed that there are different models of the Drill Doctor and they vary quite a lot in price. What is your model? <<< I recently moved from my boat into a house and the Drill Doctor is still packed away, so I don't know the model, but it's the one that goes up to 1/2 inch and it's 5 or 6 years old. I seem to recall that they've introduced a new model or two, but I'm not familiar with them. And yes, it does a beautiful job on all sizes, or should I say down to well below 1/16". I don't know about really really tiny bits, but certainly on any bit one would use in the construction or general fabrication business, it does a great job. I suppose a hundred bucks is nothing to sneeze at, but if you check the price of 1/8" bits these days it really won't take that long to get your money back if you do a lot of drilling. You can sharpen these things down until they're nubs. But the best part of owning a Drill Doctor is the beauty of being to drill something like 3/8" SS with really sharp bits. I usually sharpen a few bits ahead of time and change them as necessary. Once they go dull, the fun goes out of the job VERY quickly, but with the ability to change to a really sharp bit you can just keep on truckin'. A few years ago I built a 55 foot motor yacht and did a LOT of drilling in SS. The Drill Doctor saved my sanity. I imagine there are some old timers out there who can get a good point on a bit using just a grinding wheel, but I've never met one. Sure, I've seen lots of guys who claim to be experts at hand sharpening bits, but all the ones I've met are mostly all flash as they go through a fancy twisting and skewing motion with their elbows sticking out. But take a look at the finished product with a good pair of magnifiers and you'll see a crappy point. The Drill Doctor is simply hard to beat. It makes a perfect point every time with ZERO skill. It also happens to be a tool that is hard to screw up, unlike something like a chain saw, plus it's small and easy to transport and something you don't need every day. So perhaps you can justify going into partnership with a friend and split the cost. Bob |
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